


Not a Secret Love Child

by zBowerbird



Category: Hidden Legacy Series - Ilona Andrews, Innkeeper - Ilona Andrews
Genre: Crossover, Innkeeper Chronicles, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2018-12-10 12:21:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11691510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zBowerbird/pseuds/zBowerbird
Summary: Arabella visits Rogan's mother.  Spoilers for Wildfire.  Crossover with the Innkeeper Chronicles.Updated through Chapter 8!!!





	1. Chapter 1

She was in her greenhouse enjoying the damp warmth of the hazy afternoon sunlight when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She squinted at the name on the display and raised her eyebrows. Conner rarely called.

She answered on the second ring, smiling. “Hello, Conner.”

“Mother? I have a favor to ask. I’m sending a young girl to you by car. Could you please keep her hidden until I come to get her?” His voice sounded urgent, rattled even.

“A young girl? Of course! I adore children. Is she your child? How old is she? Why does she need to be hidden?”

“…No, she isn’t my secret love child. I’ll explain later.” 

She sighed. Later. "I’ll be waiting.” She tried hard to sound stern, but failed.

“Thank you.”

 

She hurried into her cottage. A young girl ripped from her family and forced to hide in a stranger’s home might need to be fed chocolaty baked goods . . . if only for purely medicinal purposes. Pulling flour, sugar, chocolate chips, toffee bits, and nuts from her pantry, she began to make cookies.

A mere forty five minutes passed before a quiet chime caused her to glance at the security monitor tucked in the corner of her kitchen. A silver Range Rover had passed the first perimeter fence, a twelve-foot high concrete and metal barrier that enclosed the sixteen square miles surrounding her home. Conner insisted on layer upon layer of security around her dwelling. He was quite dogmatic and stubborn about the whole process. She insisted on her privacy and the illusion of solitude. They compromised. He surrounded her home with elaborate security precautions and she pretended that these protections were unnecessary and ignored them as much a possible. She was perfectly capable of protecting herself, after all.

A few minutes later a chime of a slightly different tone assured her that the armored car carrying the young girl had passed the gatehouse for the second perimeter fence, a mere ten foot high fence of field stone which was still a mile from her home. The security team Connor assigned to her stayed at the gatehouse and at other strategic locations along the second fence where they monitored her wooded grounds with remote cameras, sensors and sniper rifles. She would allow them to come no closer without her permission.

She opened the door to see the girl, naked, covered in dried blood and wrapped in a gray wool blanket. One of Rogan’s soldiers, nervously mumbled “Mrs. Rogan? The Major said that you would be expecting us.”

“Indeed. Please come in.” She drew her charge inside. Connor’s soldier nodded at her and hastily retreated to the vehicle, leaving her alone with her guest.

Inside the cottage, she discretely inspected the child. The girl, actually a young woman, looked anxious and very much in need of a bath.

“Please call me Tinka. It isn’t my given name but I dislike the name my mother gave me and Mrs. Rogan makes me feel old. Mrs. Rogan also reminds me of my mother-in-law and that old harpy was a horribly mean woman. What should I call you?”

“I’m Arabella.”

“Welcome to my cottage, Arabella. Which would you prefer first, homemade cookies or a shower?”

“A shower!”


	2. Chapter 2

After pointing Arabella towards the shower, she stood looking at her own closet. The child would need something to wear. She could not allow her to go about naked and wrapped in a quilt. None of her own things would fit the girl who was a petite little blond creature. 

She glanced at herself in the mirror. She was no longer young and petite. The glossy black hair of her youth was now streaked with silver. Her curves were rather Rubenesque these days. She refused to think of herself as fat. She simply liked muffins, cookies and homemade bread. Comfort food . . .

So much of her life had been less than comforting. When the final assassination attempt on Connor’s father succeeded and her son assumed leadership of House Rogan, she withdrew from Prime society. She bought a tiny cottage nearly an hour outside of Houston. The cottage sat on a few hundred wooded acres south of a national forest. She used her somewhat eclectic telekinetic skills to move the earth to vary the terrain. It was slow work but fulfilling. She could not demolish cities like her son but given enough time she could raise a hill or open a valley . . . or collapse a villa. She smiled at that memory. She engaged an herbimagos to encourage certain trees from her childhood home to grow near her cottage. As a result, the view from her bedroom window reminded her just a bit of the Basque region of Spain. 

She gardened, knitted, read and tried to ignore the news from Houston as much as possible. She kept the television in a closet in the basement and directed the daily Assembly email into her spam folder. She consciously stepped away from her role as Connor’s mother and protector. He was a grown man. He could take care of himself. Maybe if she kept thinking it, she would even begin to believe it. 

She gathered a tunic, leggings and socks. These garments would swallow the child but she would be warm at least. Placing these on the guest bed, she paused. The girl was singing loudly, and slightly off key, in the shower. Arabella had apparently found the radio. She even recognized the song…. something about not giving a damn about a bad reputation. 

Interesting. She began to suspect that the child might not be quite as helpless as she appeared. It was one thing to separate herself from Connor and the worrisome decisions he made. It was another to be willfully blind when she had a young girl to protect. She walked purposely into her kitchen and halted in front of her laptop. Glancing at the platter of cooling cookies, she opened a message window.

_Abraham, does my guest have a nut allergy?_

_No, madam._

_What is her story?_

In lieu of an answer, a video hyperlink to a CBS Houston news clip appeared. 

She smiled thinking of Abraham. He was such a nice young man. Conner introduced her to Abraham "Bug" Levin several months ago. He then directed his nervous young employee to provide her with any information that she requested. It was so useful to have a willing and cooperative spy. She clicked on the link. 

The reporter was standing with a microphone in front of the Cinemark theatre. A mountain of a decapitated summoned creature lay in the parking lot.

“This location is the site of a battle between the MCM that you see behind me and a creature that we never thought to see in the continental United States. Bystanders provided these astounding video clips.”

Obviously, taken with a cell phone, the video wobbled but the image was clear. A woman was pointing a gun at a man who was holding a little boy hostage. Purple lightening framed a swirling dark portal of a Prime summoning. A gigantic gray creature with glowing red eyes and cloven hoofs emerged from the arcane and stooped to pick up a dead body. 

The video became erratic. The amateur videographer was obviously running. 

Another bystander’s video picked up where the other left off. A helicopter roared onto the scene. Machine guns fired at the giant with no effect. Something fell from the helicopter, something that morphed into an enormous shaggy black horned monster as it landed. An epic battle worthy of any B movie ensued. The monster killed the giant. A vehicle drove up and the monster blurred into a small humanoid shape that jumped into a very familiar silver Range Rover.

The newsperson reappeared on the screen, talking excitedly. “Federal authorities are working with the Houston Police Department to take the individual who transformed into that monster into custody under the Danger to Public Act. . .”

She paused the video and turned to see the girl entering her kitchen.

She smiled and offered the Beast of Cologne a cookie.


	3. Chapter 3

Tinka and Arabella settled in the library with cups of hot cocoa and a plate of cookies. Arabella was staring wide-eyed at the mass of books stacked to the ceiling on sturdy shelves.

“So, Arabella, how did you come under my son’s protection?” 

Arabella blinked, a bit startled, and swallowed a mouthful of cookie before speaking. “Well, he and my sister are getting married!”

Tinka nearly choked on her own cookie and gasped, “Run that by me one more time, please?”

The girl confidently blurted out, “They love each other. They will definitely get married!”

“How? When? What house are you from? Explain.” She narrowed her eyes. If this child was not exaggerating, she might be forced to throttle Conner. Married, indeed!

The girl drew herself up a bit straighter and said, “My name is Arabella Baylor. Rogan loves my sister, Nevada. Nevada filed for our family to be recognized as a House a few days ago. She and my other sister, Catalina, will be tested later this week but Nevada and mom won’t let me test!” Arabella slammed her fist down on the arm of the squishy leather chair that she was ensconced in.

Tinka examined the girl with her eyes and just a touch of empathic magic. She sensed sincerity, excitability and frustration but no deceit. No hyperbole. “How did Conner meet your sister?”

Arabella made big eyes and squeaked, “You mean that you don’t know?”

“No,” Tinka admitted with some chagrin and a few other undefined emotions that did not bode well for Conner’s continued well being once she got her hands on him…

Arabella smiled, picked up another cookie and said, “Well, first he kidnapped Nevada and chained her in his basement because he was trying to locate Adam Pierce and Baylor Investigations had been hired to find that fucking firebug.”

“Chained?”

Arabella nibbled on a third, fourth, or was it fifth cookie? Tinka had lost count. The girl nodded excitedly. “Yep. He tried to force her to tell him things using some sort of freaky truth circle but Rogan underestimated, Neva. She is a prime truthseeker. He got nothing. Nix. Zip. Zilch! So, he brought her home half dead and dumped her on our doorstep.”

Tinka sarcastically muttered, “So of course they decided to get married….” Perfectly logical!

Arabella rolled her eyes and continued. “Not then! After Pierce tried to burn my Grandma Frida alive and Rogan rescued Grandma, Rogan and my sister joined forces to capture Pierce. I think it was after they were trapped in the bank building after the explosion that they actually started to fall in love.” 

Arabella paused to sip some cocoa and then blurted out, “How can you not know this? Don’t you watch TV?”

Tinka closed her eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and said, “No. My TV is locked in a closet downstairs.”

Arabella looked startled. “Facebook? Twitter? Herald?”

Tinka shook her head. “No. I abhor social media. I avoid the news when possible. It is easier that way. Continue.”

Arabella shook her head at these bizarre lifestyle choices but continued her story. “So, they survived the exploding bank, an assassination attempt at the Galleria where Rogan threw a bus at a wind mage AND Pierce’s attempt to burn down Houston. Let’s see. Rogan collapsed a bunch of buildings. Honestly, he makes Nevada crazy. They will definitely get married because they haven’t killed each other yet. Besides, Grandma Frida told me about a goodbye kiss that she witnessed that was really hot. Major chemistry! I have video!”

Arabella reached down to her pocket and then looked up with a horrified expression on her face. “Oh. My. God. I left my cell phone on the helicopter!” The girl looked sincerely panicked.

Tinka suppressed a laugh. The girl arrived naked and covered in blood at her door and did not panic until she realized that she misplaced her smart phone. Tinka smiled gently but firmly and said, “It is for the best, dear. It will make it harder for state and federal authorities to track you down.”

Arabella blanched and muttered, “I don’t think I need to worry about the Feds. I’m pretty sure that my mom will kill me before they become a problem. I am in So Much Trouble. I wasn’t supposed to transform in public. Ever. Ever!” Arabella jumped up and began pacing around the library pulling her hair.

Tinka released a tiny trickle of emotion to sooth Arabella, deftly channeling the girl’s anxiety into curiosity. Then, she waited. In moments, Arabella halted and looked up at the bookshelves that filled every wall and climbed to the high ceiling. Arabella sighed wistfully, “You’ve got so many books. I love books. May I look at them?” 

“Help yourself, Arabella. I’ll be nearby.”

Leaving Arabella to burn off a bit of nervous energy by distractedly sorting through stacks of books, Tinka stood and gathered the dirty dishes. Back in the kitchen, she paused by the computer.

 _Abraham, I want to see Nevada Baylor’s genetic profile. Now._  


_Sorry, madam. Major never asked Nevada for her profile._  


_This girl says Conner is going to marry her sister! Send me the prenuptial agreement, then!_  


_Sorry, madam. There is no prenuptial agreement._  


_No prenup? No genetic profile?_  


_No prenup. No genetic profile._  


Stunned, she sat down and stared at the screen. No prenup! No profile! What was Conner thinking? Had he lost his ever-loving mind? Tinka grabbed a spoon, opened the ‘fridge, and pulled out the homemade Neapolitan ice cream that she saved for emergencies.


	4. Chapter 4

She returned most of the Neapolitan to the freezer and washed her spoon. Control! Control! Control! The mantra helped.

Honestly, there was no need for her to panic, to binge, to eat all of the Neapolitan. The fact that Conner might love a girl who shared a name with an entire western State should not be cause for so much anxiety. The fact that he had ignored the genetic profile and the prenuptial agreement shouldn’t surprise her. The curiosity that she previously summoned to sooth and to distract Arabella was beginning to work its wiles on her fertile mind also. Back to the business of information gathering! She pulled a tablet from a kitchen drawer and went in search of Arabella.

Tinka found her on the library ladder perusing the highest shelf. She held out the tablet and spoke, “Arabella? I want know more about Nevada.”

Arabella’s eyes zeroed in on the tablet like a hawk spotting a mouse. The girl grinned and hopped off the ladder, landing gracefully. “Sure!”

They settled side by side on the sofa. Arabella held the tablet, ready. “What do you want to see first?”

Tinka grimaced. “Facebook?”

Arabella snorted, “Nevada doesn’t share very much on social media. Her Facebook profile is boring.” An image of the Baylor Investigations logo appeared as Nevada’s profile photo. The timeline included only old Calvin and Hobbs comics and a few cat videos. Not a single personal photo appeared.

Arabella spoke as she searched online, “Take a look at this one.” Arabella navigated to a video that showed a man and a woman in null circle surrounded by a gigantic concrete wall and a raging inferno. The video quality was poor. The distance was great but the couple was obviously kissing.

Tinka grumbled, “I assume that shows Conner and your sister but the resolution is hideous. I can’t actually see anything.”

Arabella smiled, “I’ve got more.” A moment of searching produced the homepage for a magazine focusing on celebrity gossip with glossy photos. “These pictures are from Gabriel Baranovsky’s gala a few weeks ago.”

Tinka looked at a photo of Conner leading a lovely blond woman in a stunning black evening gown across a ballroom floor. Tinka commented, “Very pretty. They both look furious though. I don’t see much love there.”

Arabella snickered, “Oh, they were furious. Nevada had found out just the day before that Rogan bought up all of the Baylor family debts and purchased two square miles of industrial real estate around our warehouse. Their fight was epic. I saw it. I thought Nevada might shoot him. If I ever find my phone again, I can show you the video of that too.”

Tinka laughed out loud and kept laughing. When she had wiped the tears from her eyes and calmed enough to speak she said, “Only two miles? He bought sixteen square miles around my cottage! Granted, I was ready to kill him when I found out about my security perimeter too.”

Tinka squinted, looking more closely at the pretty girl in the black dress. “Is that a bruise on her neck?”

Arabella nodded, “Yep. An illusion mage tried to strangle her. She shocked him unconscious and then shot him a few times.”

Tinka demanded, “More.”

Arabella navigated to Herald’s webpage. 

Tinka groaned, “Herald? Really?”

Arabella giggled and stated confidently, “The “Mad about Mad Rogan” forum has the best stuff. Granted there are a lot of fangirls on Herald that want him for themselves but these loons are just fans. This thread started day before yesterday with an image from a waiter at Flanders.”

Arabella pulled up a set of forum posts and handed the tablet to Tinka.

\-----MR @ Flanders!!!!!!!!  
[Image of Mad Rogan and Nevada Baylor at a table at Flanders.]  
\-----Awww…they’re holding hands!  
\--------Look at the girl.  
\-----------Pretty dress.  
\-----------Forget the dress. Pretty necklace!  
\--------------[Close up of the necklace and Nevada’s cleavage]  
\------------------Nice tits!  
\--------------Damn is that an emerald?  
\--------------Just did a Google search of close up image. Holy shit! Here is a link to the article. It is a fucking SIXTEEN MILLION DOLLAR BLUE GREEN DIAMOND. It has a name! The Tear of the Aegean…  
\-------------------Poetic.  
\-------------------Poetically expensive!  
\-----I wish he’d love me instead.  
\---------STFU. Take that shit over to the MAD AT MAD thread. Only friendly stalkers allowed over here.  
\-----I’m happy for him.  
\-----Wonder when they’ll get married?  
\-----Does anyone know what her powers are? They will make the cutest babies!  
\----------Adorable blond monster babies that will rule the world?  
\--------------And take that shit over to the GoT board. ;) 

Tinka stared at the image of the necklace, their clasped hands and her son’s smile. Conner’s unguarded happy expression was much rarer than the pretty diamond. Tinka smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

Tinka pulled her eyes away from the photos on Herald and stared out the window, lost in thought. When her idle thoughts finally drifted to monsters and genetics, she focused Arabella and said, “Tell me about your Beast.” 

Arabella didn’t look up from the tablet. “Her? I’ve transformed twelve times. I can’t talk when I’m the Beast but I’m still me. I don’t lose my shit or anything.”

“What happened the first time?” Tinka prodded.

Arabella stopped prowling the Internet on the borrowed tablet and looked up, grinning. “I was almost two years old? Grandma Frida kept a cookie jar on top of the ‘fridge. I remember looking up, seeing the cookie jar and wanting cookies! Suddenly, I could reach it. Once I had the cookie jar, I transformed back, sat down on the kitchen floor, opened the cookie jar and ate a cookie. I transform into what ever size I need with an upper limit of about one hundred fifty feet. That day, my head and horns barely brushed Grandma’s ceiling. My family was a little freaked out.” 

Tinka shook her head and said, “Go on. ”

Arabella laughed. “The next time was at my two year old checkup at my pediatrician’s office. I was supposed to get several shots. Grandma Frida and dad were there. Grandma had just gotten finished telling me that if I sat very still that it wouldn’t hurt. Lie! The first shot hurt a lot. I transformed into the Beast right there in front of the pediatrician. My dad glared at me and told me to change back right that instant if I wanted to go for ice cream later so I shifted back. The second shot hurt too.” 

Arabella continued, “The next time was entirely Catalina’s fault by the way. I was maybe three? The entire family was camping near Yosemite. We’d gone on this long west coast road trip. I think the entire purpose was to take a picture of Nevada next to the “Welcome to Nevada” sign. The campground had a place for kids to play with swings and monkey bars and trees for climbing. Catalina was telling the other kids a story. A big group of kids was sitting around her. I wasn’t really paying attention until she started screaming. The other kids where pulling at her. One had her hair. Another was pulling at her arm. Her shirt was torn. I saw mom and dad running from across the campground. Catalina was scratched and bleeding with half her hair missing in seconds. It was scary. I reacted. I turned into the Beast, grabbed Catalina and ran for the woods. It all happened really fast. Mom and dad were the only adults who actually saw me and no one really believed the kids. Dad found me and Catalina playing near a waterfall. We packed up and left the campground that night. They tried to tell me that I could absolutely not transform around other people. They reminded me every single day. I had to watch the documentary about Misha Marcotte every single time I lost my temper. I got to watch it a lot!” 

Tinka frowned and asked, “Why did the other children attack, Catalina?”

Arabella huffed, “Catalina makes people love her. She can get people to do anything if she uses her magic, not because she is dominating them but because they just adore her that much. The problem is that they love her so much that they want to possess a piece of her. It’s fucked up. She manifested that day and those kids nearly ripped her to pieces. The Record Keeper is calling her a siren.”

“Such interesting gifts within your family. It must make holidays entertaining…” Tinka mused with only a touch of sarcasm.

“I know, right?” Arabella laughed. 

“So, your parents do not descend from one of the Houses?”

Arabella winced, “Well, not on my mom’s side. She and Grandma and my cousins have normal magic. Basically, they either fix things or shoot things. Dad’s side is a different story. He died a few years ago. He had no magic and I recently found out that my other grandmother is Victoria Tremaine. She wants Nevada and Catalina for her House. She’ll sedate me and put me in a cage if she ever catches me.” 

Tinka sat up a straighter and stared at Arabella with a combination of alarm and protective fury. Conner’s innocent questions about Victoria Tremaine during a phone call a few weeks ago suddenly seemed much less innocent. No one was going to put Arabella in a cage, not on her watch!

Tinka started to ask another question but was interrupted by the muffled buzz of an incoming text. Liberating her phone from a pocket, she read. 

_Madam, given your questions earlier, I suggested to Major that you and Arabella might like to watch Nevada question the man they captured on the overpass. Should I patch in the video feed?_

_Yes, Abraham. Thank you! Please send the link to my tablet._

Tinka gave a passing thought to popping popcorn but decided against it. She and Arabella settled in to watch the show.


	6. Chapter 6

The show proved to be both entertaining and instructive. 

Nevada’s magic intrigued Tinka. The girl’s initial circle work made Tinka cringe but according to Arabella, Nevada utterly lacked formal magical training. Arabella identified the various members of the peanut gallery as they both watched the drama develop. Victoria Tremaine, observing via video feed, taunted Gavin Shaffer. Conner quietly watched while Nevada worked her magic. 

Tinka gasped when she saw Nevada’s magic consume the girl. Nevada’s eyes, normally a warm brown, glowed an astonishing blue green just like the pretty diamond Conner had given her. Nevada knelt in a trance and drew an incredibly complex arcane circle containing the image of a multi-petal flower in seconds. She stood. An image of a glowing white flower shimmered in the air above the man to be interrogated. Once he began to answer questions, the show ended quickly and Conner guided a visibly exhausted Nevada out of the room. Another conspiracy was apparently afoot. Thank the powers that be that she had removed herself from Prime chaos! She glanced at her guest. Well, mostly removed at any rate…

Tinka rose from the couch and walked over to a bookshelf. Searching the shelves with her eyes, she found the book that she wanted, The Magic of Flowering Plants, on an easily accessible shelf. She identified the chalk flower in Nevada’s circle as a chrysanthemum and noted with idle interest that white chrysanthemums were connected to truth in the language of flowers.

A blaring alarm in the kitchen broke the silence, startling Tinka and Arabella. Tinka darted into the kitchen and stared at the security monitor. A live video feed from Connor’s guards posted at her first perimeter fence filled the screen. Four black SUVs and a group of fifteen heavily armed federal agents confronted her guards. Her chief guard was perusing a warrant. Tinka quickly engaged the audio feed.

Agent: “We are here to apprehend Arabella Baylor under the Danger to Public Act and we have reason to believe that she is hiding on these premises. The search warrant was signed by the judge less than two hours ago.”

Guard: “We will of course comply with the federal authorities and open the gate. We have nothing to hide. I will caution you. Mrs. Rogan does not appreciate uninvited visitors. She is a very private person.”

Tinka calmly glanced at Arabella. “Arabella, put on a coat, hat, gloves and those UGGs by the back door. I’d planned to show you my greenhouses and cook a lovely spaghetti dinner but I think we’ll eat out instead. It is only a short walk but it is cold today.” Arabella’s eyes were round and scared. She didn’t argue.

Tinka walked back into the library and pulled a copy of a prized mint condition comic from the shelf and placed it carefully in the center of the library table. The title was Wonder Woman and the Battle of the Albino Bats. Tinka then walked to a pretty watercolor painting and removed the frame from the wall. She slide back a glass panel and touched the edge of a magic circle carefully inscribed on a stone tablet and she poured a bit of power into the lines. Once the lines began to glow with a pale silver light, Tinka closed the glass door and replaced the frame. 

Arabella, dressed for a winter walk, popped around the door to the kitchen and squeaked, “They’re opening the gates!”

Tinka smiled. “I activated an illusion charm that I had that dear boy Augustine put together for me. Linked reference stones are buried all over the sixteen square mile grounds. It will cause the agents to drive in circles for about seventy minutes before it wears off. By that time, we’ll be far away enjoying a nice meal. “

Tinka walked to her mud room and donned a hand-knitted black hat, wool gloves, a warm jacket and comfortable boots. Arabella was hovering by the backdoor and reaching for the doorknob when Tinka stopped her. “Not that way.”

Tinka walked back into the kitchen. She picked up a basket and opened the pantry. She deposited a large package of dried Morel mushrooms and two jars of homemade jam into the basket and turned to open the door to the basement.

Arabella said, “We are hiding in your basement?”

Tinka laughed, “Not exactly.”

They descended the steps into a large and slightly cluttered basement. Threading their way around neatly labeled boxes, bookshelves stuffed with magazines, comics and fascinating random objects, they reached the south wall. Tinka quickly drew a circle on the floor and sat in it. Her palms touched the cool concrete. A section of stone slide sideways and opening appeared in the wall. Tinka stood and quickly swept the circle away. She and Arabella stepped into a cool and damp cave. Tinka sat in a second, already prepared circle, and closed the hidden door.

Darkness engulfed both Tinka and Arabella.


	7. Chapter 7

The darkness persisted while Tinka telekinetically inspected the structural integrity of the tunnel system. When Arabella began to fidget, Tinka whispered, “Lights.”

A single incandescent bulb in the center of what proved to be a circular stone chamber began to glow weakly. Tinka rose and motioned for Arabella to follow her to a sturdy door set in the wall opposite the hidden entrance. Beyond the door was a tunnel illuminated by a string of tiny recycled white Christmas lights.

“We’ll walk for a while now.”

Emanating barely restrained panic, Arabella muttered, “What is this place?” 

Responding first to the unvoiced anxiety, Tinka spoke firmly. “They won’t get you. I won’t let them. Only Conner knows about these tunnels. I terra-formed my land using telekinesis. It took a long time. My desire for a few hills and valleys on the surface revealed this tunnel system, a natural cavern and a few other surprises.”

They walked in silence for about five minutes gradually descending and continuing to follow the string of lights. Eventually emerging on a flat stone terrace, a gigantic cavern covered with moss, lichen and a particularly pungent odor spread before them. Weak natural light was apparent far in the distance. 

Tinka whispered, “See the bats?” Dozens of furry brown bodies clustered on the ceiling and walls. Interspersed among them was an occasional albino.

Arabella looked at the dozens of stone steps descending to the floor of the cave and wrinkled her nose. “Are we really going to wade through guano?” 

Tinka just shook her head. “Definitely not. This way…" 

Tinka led her away from the terrace to a smaller tunnel opening concealed by deep shadows. A few hundred feet inside the tunnel a new string of twinkle lights began to reveal an odd striated texture breaking the walls. 

"I found this section of the tunnels after discovering the albino bats. I would come down here and watch them. One day, I noticed that some would fly this way and seemed to disappear. I went spelunking.”

Arabella took in the woman walking in front of her and raised her eyebrows. "You don't strike me as a spelunker."

"Spelunking, string theories and muffin making. My skill set is as broad as my hips."

"String theories?" Arabella snorted, emphasizing the plural.

Tinka laughed. "I knit and I like studying multi-dimensional theory."

They continued to walk.

Tinka inhaled deeply, “Do you feel how thick the magic is getting?”

Arabella just nodded. The magic felt like prickly pressure on her skin. The sensation made her antsy. Fleeing federal agents made her double antsy.

“Nearly there.”

Around a sharp curve, the tunnel widened into a very odd circular chamber with wooden walls, a vaulted wood ceiling and oddly organic wooden furniture emerging from a smooth hardwood floor. A braided wool rug covered the floor and delicate stained glass lamps graced the tables, casting multicolored lights on the walls. Tinka sat and gestured for Arabella to do the same.

“Now, we wait.”

Only a few short minutes passed before an opening materialized in the wall farthest from the entrance tunnel. A pretty young woman wearing a gray hooded robe stood in the opening and said, “Welcome to Gertrude Hunt.”

Tinka stood and hugged the young woman.

“Dina, please meet Arabella. I need a safe place to hide her and I brought bribes for your chef.”


	8. Chapter 8

“What is Gertrude Hunt?” 

Tinka turned back to Arabella and drew her toward the arched opening of a cavern very similar to Tinka's bat cave.

Dina smiled. “Gertrude Hunt is an inn. Be welcome, Arabella. You will be safe here.”

“How exactly does walking underground for a few miles protect me from the FBI? Won’t they just follow us here?” Arabella asked with more than a bit of alarm.

Tinka said, “No. They most definitely will not follow us here. Gertrude Hunt is a magical intergalactic bed and breakfast in a parallel dimension. In this version of reality, there was no Osirus Serum. You should see the map. Shocking.” 

Arabella stopped and stared at Tinka. “What. The. Fuck.”

Tinka smiled gently. “It will be okay. I found this place by accident. I told you that I study string theory as a hobby. Dina allows me access to her library. I provide her chef with heirloom fruits and vegetables from my greenhouses. Win. Win. I also get to disappear periodically. It drives Conner’s security team insane.”

“A parallel dimension?”

“A parallel dimension. It is remarkably similar to ours. Smart phones, internet, Facebook, Twitter and an odd obsession with the Mandela Effect. They mostly don’t know about magic. Dina requires us to keep that secret.”

Dina led Tinka and Arabella through a remarkably guano-free cave with familiar bats fidgeting on the ceiling and walls. They emerged into a bit of woods with trees bare and dried leaves thick on the ground. A trail led them to a large old house nestled at the edge of a subdivision. Familiar privacy fences, swing sets and cookie cutter houses stretched as far and the eye could see.

They approached a veranda at the side of the house and entered a cozy living room. Dina excused herself to tell her chef that there would be two extra guests for supper. In a few moments, the sound of a roar and breaking glass could be heard from the kitchen.

Tinka leaned to Arabella and whispered, “Don’t be alarmed by her chef, Orro. He isn’t human.”

Arabella stiffened when creature that looked like a giant hedgehog appeared in the doorway. 

Tinka rose and offered her basket to Orro.

“Orro, I brought you dried morel mushrooms and my homemade mango habanero jam….” 

Orro growled a thank you, executed a short bow and whisked the basket away, returning to the kitchen. Orro proclaimed, “I will need an extra forty five minutes.”

Dina called “Thank you, Orro” to the chef's retreating back.

Dina turned to Tinka and Arabella and smiled.

“Tinka, your usual room is ready. Arabella, would you please come with me?”

Dina led Tinka and Arabella up a flight of stairs. She opened a door close to the top of the stairs and waved Tinka inside. Arabella glimpsed many filled bookshelves before the door closed.

Dina discretely inspected Arabella, noting the loosely fitted garments, generally anxious demeanor and lack of a cellular device.

“So Arabella, do you like gaming? Online manga? Or, do you prefer paper books that you can hold?” 

Arabella startled and stared at Dina. “You guessed my three favorite guilty pleasures… ”

Dina just smiled. She turned into a nook and led Arabella to a spiral staircase. They climbed to the top of the house and emerged in a large attic room.

Arabella took in the squishy leather couch in front of a huge flat screen TV, the gaming console, the circular desk with a flashy PC and triple monitors, and a solid wall of books of all kinds. Absently, she noticed a bed built into a loft above the books. 

Dina walked to the bookcase and pulled firmly on a large red tome. A section of the bookcase swung open to reveal a roomy bathroom with a gigantic claw foot tub.

Arabella sighed, “This is amazing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Ilona Andrews for creating the Hidden Legacy world. The writing prompt for this piece is the one sided conversation in Wildfire where Rogan calls to ask his mother to hide Arabella until the trials. Rogan's words are a direct quote from Wildfire. Thank you, Ilona and Gordon, for allowing me to play with your world and characters!


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